Enes Kanter has elected to wear No. 11 with the Boston Celtics, and the symbolism of taking Kyrie Irving's old digits wasn't lost on the gregarious big man at his introductory press conference Wednesday.
Explaining his new number, Kanter evoked Irving's now-infamous Nike commercial, in which the perennial All-Star point guard voices a desire to see Boston retire the number in his honor.
"It was my old jersey number," Kanter said, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "And I wanted to be the reason no one else (wears it again).
"I had to say it."
My dad is the reason I wear 11. I want to be the reason no one else will. #justdoit pic.twitter.com/CZiLOsxbA9
— Kyrie Irving (@KyrieIrving) November 22, 2018
Kanter has previously worn No. 11, but there's another good reason to believe his choice was more a matter of necessity than a jab in Irving's direction.
Picking a number can be something of a challenge for new Celtics players, as the storied club has already retired 22 jersey numbers in honor of its legion of franchise players, including Robert Parish (No. 00) and Reggie Lewis (No. 35).
